FLOS 2129 Lamp by Gino Sarfatti - 2129 Light - Flos Lighting

Gino Sarfatti. Ceiling light, model no. 2129, c. 1971. Tubular Perspex, painted metal. 145 cm (57 1/8 in) drop. Manufactured by Flos, Italy. Inner rim of shade with Flos logo. Re-lighting Gino Sarfatti Edition N° 1 by FLOS, 2013. Floor Lamp No.2129 (Arteluce, 1969-1971). ach lamp of the new line is based on LEDs and the handsome marriage of contemporary, energy-saving light sources with retro form. "Re-lighting" Gino Sarfatti, or rather bringing his work back to light, appeared to Flos as a fitting and captivating
challenge. It is fitting because Sarfatti was probably the
greatest Italian lighting designer. Active between 1939 and
1973, Sarfatti renovated and updated traditional typologies
and invented new functions for light, designing over 600
lamps and light fittings that were all produced by Arteluce,
the company he founded in 1939 and sold to Flos in 1973. This
legacy posed a responsibility that could no longer be left
on the shelf.
“Re-lighting” Sarfatti, however, also represents
a fascinating challenge. Starting from the premise that his
designs were conceived with the components and resources
at his disposal – each time adopting the latest light sources, from
fluorescent tubes to the Cornalux bulb and the first halogens –
reproposing his models in updated versions necessarily involved
a consideration of the resources available today. Indeed, we
must not forget that in lighting design, unlike furniture,
technological innovation advances at a dizzying pace, driven
by specific laws and the public’s acquired sense of
refinement. A second argument emerges here outlining the
need to “re-light” Gino Sarfatti. While many of the pieces he
designed still appear incredibly contemporary in terms of
their forms and the physical-psychological relationship with
the user, the same evaluation could no longer hold true from
the perspective of lighting technology. Detracting nothing
from the integrity of the lamps’ original forms, it was essential to bring these objects into the present day, “re-lighting”
them by adopting cutting-edge LED technology, which had
to be introduced with the utmost sophistication yet without
being invasive. Through a long and complex endeavour,
today a first set of lamps designed by Gino Sarfatti finally
make their return to light up our homes and, in doing so, tell
us something about him.